That is generally the first reaction when one lays eyes on the venerable Dragon Fruit Passionfruit Berliner Weisse (Berliner Weisse, 3.5% ABV) from Miami’s J. Wakefield Brewing.

DFPF, as it is commonly referred to (and significantly easier to write), started life as one of Jonathan Wakefield’s recipes brewed for his friends at Cigar City during their famous Hunahpu’s Day beer festival and bottle release.

After a successful run of crowd funding and the opening of their Wynwood brewery and tap room on 24th Street, DFPF quickly became the signature seasonal release for J. Wakefield.

Just a few weeks ago, bottles of DFPF were released and sold out in a matter of hours, gone to a throng of fans waiting around the block.

Considered a whale by many, it only comes around once a year. But it’s on draft at the tap room. Right now.

Dragonfruit Passion Fruit Berliner Weisse by J. Wakefield Brewing

Once you get past the color, the aroma is very, very reminiscent of guava paste for me. And I happen to like guava paste, occasionally cutting slices off of a hard drive-sized block from Publix as a special treat.

That aroma was sort of funny to Brand Director/Cellarman Alex and myself, seeing there isn’t any guava in the beer at all. All the same, I stopped and enjoyed the aroma for a bit.

Then there’s drinking. True to a good, quality Berliner, there’s a strong, tart, juicy sour bite to the beer. It’s incredibly bright and flavorful, with the dragon fruit bringing a strong, tropical sweetness that the slight meaty maturity of the passionfruit helps to balance.

It’s very floral, very snappy, and a beer that almost perfectly encapsulates the glowing vibrance of the Magic City and the revitalized Wynwood community.

And once you get past the fact that it’s a color that almost no other beer on the planet has, you can discover all of those factors yourself.